Museum of World Culture, Göteborg

Multi-award winning building

On 28 May 2004, the National Property Board (SFV) handed over the Museum of World Culture building to its tenant, the National Museums of World Culture. The first sod was cut in 2001, and the museum opened on 29 December 2004.

On 19 November 2004 the museum building won the prestigious Kasper Salin Prize. Bo Jonsson, SFV director general, accepted the award along with Edgar Gonzalez, one of the two architects from Brisac-Gonzalez Architects, at a ceremony in Stockholm. The "year's best building" award was shared with Södertorn University Library in Huddinge. Subsequently the museum was voted Building of the Year, was highly commended by the Mies van der Rohe Award and won an Award for Excellence in Design from the British chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Background

Following an international architectural competition, Edgar Gonzalez and Cécile Brisac began work on the project in May 1999, setting up a project office in Göteborg with their Swedish partner, Erséus, Frenning & Sjögren Arkitekter.

SFV, which manages most national museum buildings in Sweden, managed the project jointly with AB Projektgaranti and was in charge of the construction site. Following the handover to the tenant, SFV now manages the building.

Special circumstances

The site, on a slope between the high cliffs of the Liseberg amusement park and the Södra vägen road is complex and required many different types of groundwork. On the hill side, rock was blasted away and levelled. On the road side, concrete pillars nine metres high were needed to reach solid ground.

Completion of project

The building is to an advanced design with very wide spans, a glass-fronted atrium four storeys high, and an intricate communications system including a very wide stairway in the centre. All floors are also accessible via the glass elevators, which offer fantastic views. The total floor space is around 11,000 square metres.

Similar to bridgebuilding

A section of the façade - a concrete wall beam - protrudes five metres over the footway adjacent to Södra vägen. The beam is around 11 metres high, 42 metres long and 0.6 metres thick and is supported only by the gable-end façades. It contains a strong span reinforcement, normally used in bridges. This wall beam supports four floors.

Timescale

• 1998-99: Architectural competition
• 2000-02: Project launch 6 Nov 2000
• 2001: First sod cut
• March 2003: Concrete structure complete. Construction of atrium began
• May 2004: Ready for occupation
• 29 december 2004: Museum of World Culture opened to the public

The construction contract was split into around 40 component parts. SFV's job was to hold the project together, ensure it complied with the organization's requirements, and manage the project within the financial constraints set by government.

In brief:

• Address: Södra vägen 54, Göteborg
• Manager: Ulrika Palmblad, SFV National Property Board Sweden, tel +46 8 696 74 81, e-post ulrika.palmblad@sfv.se

More info:

• National Museum of World Cultures

External links

National Museums of World Culture, Museum of World Culture